Plasma, The Forth State of Matter

By Andrew Nyholm

How is Plasma Created and Why?

Plasma is created at a very high temperature when atoms in gas molecules decompose into positively charged ions and negatively charged neutrons. Although the molecules have decomposed, the magnetic fields of the ions and neutrons keep them associated allowing the particles to move very quickly.

Where is Plasma Found?

Plasma in the universe is said to hold up to 95%-99% of all matter. Plasma on Earth is commonly found in fluorescent lamps and as lightning. Things such as stars, solar wind, and many other interstellar objects are made from plasma.

What are the Properties of Plasma

Most terrestrial plasma or plasma on Earth, acts like gas and the definition of plasma is sometimes that of ionized gases. Plasma is most like a gas in properties, for its molecules are not in constant contact. However not all properties are the same, for example: the molecules move in what scientists call collective motion. This means that the molecules move as a whole, not randomly, but can also contain lumps of particles

Where do these Come from?

Plasma gets these properties from its ion attraction and repulsion due to magnetism from the ions (with a positive field) and neutrons (with a negative field) they contain. An important note about ionized gases is that only a very small fraction of the gas needs to be ionized to show properties of plasma.

Magnetohydrodynamics
Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is a theory that says that plasma should be treated as an electrically conductive liquid. This theory has been used in success to explain solar flares, solar wind, and star formation along with other astrological events. Scientists have compared the Earths molten, swirling, magnetic-field-creating core to an MHD liquid due to its creation of the Earths magnetic field.

I have been fascinated by plasma ever since I first heard of it. I have been thinking about how to use plasma to help engineer the future since I was young and have thought of some unique ideas.

Lightning Power Conversion Tank

Lightning (a form of plasma) is a seemingly unusable resource but I have thought about it and have a solution. The problem with lightning is that the electricity is static, not current, which makes it unusable to tap directly. I have thought of a way to indirectly tap this power source and use the power not as electricity but as a chemical reaction in one of the most famous molecules ever, good old H2O.

How would I do this?

First we must understand some basic properties of Oxygen and Hydrogen. Hydrogen, when burnt in contact to Oxygen, creates heat (energy) and also H2O (water) by bonding together with the oxygen. Now one way to separate the bonds of H2O is to introduce electricity, like from lightning. One problem with this process is that there would be a large amount of highly flammable Hydrogen in a Oxygen rich environment with lightning, which can set it off, all around.

Plasma as a Weapon
Plasma cannot be contained in any substance known to man but it can be held by a magnetic field. This opens up the option of having weapons of war that contain plasma in an electricmagnetic field and then release the field as a permanent magnet is shot at the target with the plasma following the magnetic field created by the magnet.

Bibliography
Fitzpatrick, Richard. "Plasma Physics." The University of Texas at Austin. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. <http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/plasm a/380.pdf>. http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/plasma/3 80.pdf